Jet crashes at US airport amid brutal snowstorm

The plane was carrying eight people

The private aircraft was carrying eight people and crashed while attempting to take off from Bangor International Airport in the state of Maine last night.

The incident is reported to have happened on Sunday evening at around 19:45 local time (00:45 GMT).

The aircraft has been confirmed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as being a Bombardier Challenger 600, a popular type of private jet.

In a statement on X, the FAA wrote: "A Bombardier Challenger 600 crashed as it was taking off from Bangor International Airport in Maine around 7:45 p.m local time on Sunday, Jan. 25. Eight people were on board.

"The FAA and NTSB will investigate. This information is preliminary and subject to change."

Flightradar24 also shared a post showing the aircraft's tracking data.

It reported that the plane had been intending to take off from Bangor after arriving from Houston, TX.

Bangor International Airport also released a statement.

Taking to Facebook, the account for the airport wrote: "An incident at the airport is under investigation. First responders are on scene and assessing the situation.

"Please avoid the airport at this time."

A press release from the airport later followed.

It read: "Emergency crews are responding to an incident involving an aircraft at Bangor International Airport that occurred at approximately 7:45 p.m. on Sunday.

"The airport is closed and we ask that the public avoid the area. There have been flight cancellations and passengers are encouraged to contact their airlines for information regarding impacts to their travel plans.

"At approximately 7:45 p.m. there was an incident involving a single aircraft that was departing from BGR. First responders are still on scene and are expected to be actively working the site for several more hours before any additional information is available.

"An Emergency Operation Center has been established and we are unable to provide any additional information at this time but will send another email update by 8 a.m. Monday."

The incident comes following a brutal snowstorm that has battered much of the eastern half of the United States with sleet, freezing rain and snow.

Thousands of flights have been cancelled across the East Coast.

Flightradar24 reported that 12,000 flights had been cancelled yesterday alone, with over 24 airports completely shut for service.